I love it when my blog readers send me articles. One I received, recently, was in reference to my remarks about J.K. Rowling’s new mystery, The Cuckoo’s Calling, which she wrote under the pen name, Robert Galbraith. (Aug 6, 2013) The book sold 1500 copies before the identity of the author was discovered. After that revelation, it shot up to the New York Times Best Seller list. The article I received, however, was not about Rowling but about Chuck Ross, an author whose name, I suspect, isn’t a household word.

Like most of us who put pen to paper, Chuck Ross wrote a novel he believed was worthy of serious attention, or so writes Bob Green in his CNN Opinion column. Full of hope, Ross sent his manuscript to several publishers but before long, the rejections came flying back. The verdict against him was unanimous which made Ross question his sanity. He decided to set up a test to determine who was crazier, him or the publishers.

Ross got the same reception from 13 of the top literary agents as well. One wrote that Ross’s style was too fragmented and too dreamlike and held no interest. (Ibid)

Exasperated, the plagiarist went to the American Booksellers Association convention to confess his sin and allow the publishers to see what fools they’d been. Did they show embarrassment? Remorse? No. They laughed and shrugged, “So What?”

“So What?” I huffed when I’d finished the article, as incredulous about their attitude as Ross must have been. I can think of any number of answers to “So What’?” For a start, it may be true that failure to pick up a few good novels may have no drastic effect on a publisher’s bottom line, but it deprives readers of choices and the good writing they deserve. “So what?” discourages an author’s inventiveness and encourages him or her to stick to beach reads that sell. “So What?” means literature is reduced to pap. That’s “So what!”

I think I'm still stuck back in your first paragraph -- the part that tells that J.K. Rowling's book sold 1500 copies before her name was known. I'd be SO happy if any of my books sold that many copies, even after they'd been out a year! Methinks I should change genres. Regional history just doesn't cut it! LOL

Oh how you make me chuckle, Sydney. Yes, I, too, would die to have 1500 sales on a book. Clearly Ms. Rowling and I live in different worlds. Still, 1500 books among the big boys is an embarrassment and nothing to be compared to her millions and millions of Harry Potter book sales. You and I write because we love it. That must be our reward. Frankly, if I had 400 people who read my books, who enjoyed them and the little challenges I throw their way from time to time, I'd die happy. I know my work isn't a beach read and neither is history, your topic. Still we fill a niche. We just have to keep reaching out for our audience one reader at a time and glory when we are found.